J.W. Black

J.W. Black

The tools of the trade in the Fender Custom Shop."You have to kind of get to know the materials and the guitar," Master Builder John Page says of building a "perfect Fender guitar. "But it's all about putting yourself into it."

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J.W. Black

Master Builder J.W. Black begins work on a custom guitar.

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Custom Shop

" It's not just an electric guitar," Fender Vice President of Product Development Mike Lewis tells Billboard." So much music has been written for these instruments that they won't go out of style. People pick up our guitars, and you know you have done your job when they start to play things they had not played before."

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George Blanda

Master Builder George Blanda's Founders Design "Jazzmaster" is one of eight guitars celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Fender Custom Shop. Blanda documented the Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix “Woodstock” and Stevie Ray Vaughn “Number 1” guitars for the first few models in the Custom Shop Tribute Series.

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Gene Baker

Master Builder Gene Baker--who built guitars for Robben Ford, John Jorgenson --designed a "Stelecaster" guitar in honor of the Custom Shop's 30 Year Anniversary.

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Gene Baker

Fred Stuart

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Fred Stuart

"The very first Fender guitars that were made in 1950 are all still in service," says Fender's Mike Lewis, Vice President of Development. "They all still work. That was Leo Fender's ethos. His main thing was always: build it to last. Make it last."

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John Page

Master Builder John Page models his "Page-O-Caster," a Double F Thinline Esquire he created to celebrate Fender Guitar's 30th Anniversary of its Custom Shop. The guitar is a nod to Page's mentor, Freddie Tavares, who was born in Hawaii. "I thought by bringing in a Hawaiian wood into that guitar...that's my little guitar hug to my old friend."